[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5957-S5958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader is 
recognized.


          23rd Anniversary of the September 11, 2001, Attacks

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 23 years ago today, forces of evil 
brought their war on the United States to American soil. They filled a 
clear blue sky with smoke, fire, and the shattered lives of 2,977 
innocent people.
  Before the dust had settled, the world witnessed the extraordinary 
heroism of first responders, the compassion of neighbors and 
volunteers, and the will of a proud nation not to let this savagery go 
unanswered.
  The terrorists had started this war, but America resolved to finish 
it. At times, that resolve has wavered. Over the years since September 
11, 2001, I have counseled administrations of both parties not to 
shortchange, hamstring, or abandon our fight against the terrorists or 
let up on the adversaries who support them. I have urged colleagues in 
Congress not to make the job of the warfighter harder by taking 
essential counterterrorism authorities off the table, and I will 
continue to do so as our colleagues consider our recent vote on section 
702 and the one we will take in less than 2 years to further extend 
this vital intelligence collection authority.
  The Biden-Harris administration pretends the War on Terrorism is 
over. The Vice President herself claimed last night that ``there is not 
one member of the United States military who is in active duty in a 
combat zone . . . [for] the first time this century.''
  Well, this, of course, would be news to U.S. servicemembers who 
conducted operations against ISIS in Iraq last week and to the sailors 
intercepting Houthi rockets in the Red Sea and to the families of 
servicemembers killed and injured in the attack on Tower 22 near 
Jordan's border with Syria earlier this year.
  Our current Commander in Chief and the Biden-Harris administration 
are not the first to chase the tail of shutting down terrorist 
detention at Guantanamo Bay. They are not the first to indulge in the 
idea of a pivot away from a region full of important U.S. interests. 
They are not the first to suggest that America gets to decide 
unilaterally when threats from Afghanistan end, but they were the ones 
who

[[Page S5958]]

followed through with the disastrous retreat that torched American 
credibility and left 13 servicemembers dead.
  The administration pinned its hopes on the mistaken idea that because 
the U.S.-led coalition had made tremendous progress in keeping 
terrorist threats under control, we could continue to do so from over 
the horizon. So how is that going? Despite assurances from the 
Secretary of Defense that over-the-horizon operations would not suffer 
from a lack of human intelligence after the U.S. withdrawal, the 
administration hasn't conducted a single strike--not one--against ISIS-
K, the terrorists responsible for the Abbey Gate bombing, among other 
atrocities, since 2001. Of course, that is not because the terrorists 
have been quiet. In fact, by one analysis this year, ISIS-K planned 21 
external plots or attacks in 9 countries in the previous 12 months 
alone, compared to just 3 between 2018 and the spring of 2022.
  The ODNI annual threat assessment was forced to acknowledge that 
``terrorists will maintain an interest in conducting attacks . . . 
against U.S. persons, allies, and interests worldwide.'' Indeed, 
America's retreat from Afghanistan has invited violence elsewhere, from 
the resurgence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, to the AQAP in 
Yemen, to al-Qaida affiliates across the Sahel. And then there is Hamas 
and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah and the Houthis and Iraqi 
terrorist groups, all of whom have been trained and equipped, aided and 
abetted, by the world's most active state sponsor of terror--Iran.
  Hamas's attack on October 7 is described as Israel's September 11. 
Relative to population, it was actually September 11 15 times over. It 
was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and it 
wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of Tehran.
  The chaos stemming from this genocidal assault and the violent 
choreography by the IRGC of attacks on Israel and U.S. interests across 
the region are evidence of the failure of this administration's 
passive, accommodating approach to Iran and its terrorist proxies.
  America's weakness and hesitation will not deter our adversaries. 
Withholding critical assistance from partners on the frontlines will 
not defeat them. This is true in Israel just as it is true in Ukraine.
  There is no doubt that allies, partners, and adversaries in Asia and 
elsewhere are watching a tentative America pull its punches. They are 
questioning our resolve and our commitment to our friends.
  If we are unwilling to change Iran's calculus and compel an end to 
attacks on American forces in Iraq and Syria or international vessels 
on the high seas and if we are unwilling to stand with partners like 
Israel or Ukraine, can we be trusted to stand up to the PRC?
  Twenty-three years ago, a dangerous world struck America here at 
home. We must not wait for today's threats to do the same.